Almost Famous
★★★★☆ Comedy and pathos
theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall (Venue 53): Fri 1 – Sat 16 Aug 2025
Review by Hugh Simpson
Almost Famous by Andy Moseley, from NoLogo Productions at Surgeons’ Hall for the Fringe’s first fortnight, is a wry piece invested with considerable emotion.
Jac Wheble plays Emily Benton, a grande dame of the theatre (if not an actual Dame), who is anticipating an audition. Only for a devised piece, that will play the Wolverhampton Grand (and other oxymorons), and only because the other theatrical eminence due to play the part has passed on. At her age, she should be doing Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, where it’s hot and everyone else is over 50 too. But it’s a living…
Jac Wheble in Almost Famous. Pic Siobhan.
Moseley’s script goes through Benton’s career, arriving as a dancer from Australia in the 70s, through the pop world into musicals and to Broadway and Hollywood. The various periods and milieus are cleverly evoked, and interest is sustained by the suspicion that there may be more to Emily’s story than she is letting on.
full of life
Wheble’s performance is full of life, doing justice to the frequent pawky humour in the script and benefiting from fluent direction by Moseley. There is a warm and inviting feel to the production, as if the character generally was chatting to you as she prepared, and the sympathetic and brittle sides of Emily are evoked with skill. As well as the humour, there is considerable pathos, made better by being understated.
One of those boxy Fringe acting spaces is used economically, and Emma Burton’s technical work is assured.
Jac Wheble in Almost Famous. Pic Siobhan.
While the various cultural references from the 70s onwards are generally cleverly done, there are a couple that tend more towards the clichéd easy laugh. The handbrake turn that the narrative takes at one point is cleverly signalled, but still takes some getting used to.
The theatrical in-jokes will appeal to insiders but might start to get wearing for others. And of course, there’s that title. Names get re-used all of the time, but one that is so closely associated with a well-known film could confuse; plus it has the added disadvantage of revealing too much about what is going to happen in Emily’s story.
This is a clever and emotional piece overall, however, and very well acted.
Running time: 45 minutes (no interval).
theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall (Theatre 2), Nicolson Street EH8 9DW (Venue 53).
Friday 1 – Saturday 16 August 2025.
Fri 1 – Sat 9 (not Sun 3) at 3.45 pm; Mon 11 – Sat 12 at 5.45 pm.
Tickets and details: Book here on EdFringe.com.
Almost Famous is on tour in the Autumn:
Keiller Centre, 3 Chapel St, Dundee DD1 1DQ as part of Dundee Fringe
Fri 19/Sat 20 September 2025
Daily: 7pm.
Tickets and details: Book here.
Tullynessle & Forbes Hall, Suie Road, Alford, Aberdeenshire AB33 8QN
Saturday 18 October 2025
One performance: 7.30pm.
Tickets and details: Book here.
No Logo website: www.nologoproductions.com
Facebook: @NoLogoProductions
Instagram: @nologoproductions
TikTok: @nologoproductions
Jac Wheble in Almost Famous. Pic Siobhan.
ENDS
